Saint Joseph

Saint Joseph, a city and the county-seat of Berrien county, Michigan, U.S.A., on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Saint Joseph river, near the S.W. corner of the state. Pop. (1890) 3733; (190 o) 5155, of whom 1183 were foreign-born; (1910 U.S. census) 5936. It is served by the Michigan Central and the Pere Marquette railways, by electric interurban railway to South Bend, Indiana, and by a steamboat line to Chicago. Benton Harbor, about 1 m. S.W., with which St Joseph is connected by electric line, is a terminus of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St Louis railway. The U.S. government has deepened the harbour channel to 18 ft.; and the St Joseph river has been made navigable for vessels drawing 3 ft. from St Joseph to Berrien Springs (25 m. by river). A canal, 1 m. long, extends from the upper part of the harbour to Benton Harbor. St Joseph has a public library. The city is a summer and health resort; it has mineral (saline sulphur) springs and a large mineral-water bath house. The general offices and the hospital (1902) of the Michigan Children's Home Society are here. The city has an important trade in fruit, and has various manufactures, including paper, fruit packages, baskets, motor boats, gasolene launches, automobile supplies, hosiery and knit goods, air guns and sashes and blinds. The municipality owns and operates its water-works and electric-lighting plant.

On or near the site of the present city La Salle built in 1679 Fort Miami. In the same county, on or near the site of the present city of Niles (pop. 1910, 5156), French Jesuits established an Indian mission in 1690, and the French government in 1697 erected Fort St Joseph, which was captured from the English by the Indians in 1763, and in 1781 was seized by a Spanish party from St Louis. Fort Miami has often been confused with this Fort St Joseph, 60 m. farther up the river. St Joseph was settled in 1829, incorporated as a village in 1836 and first chartered as a city in 1891.